UPDATE FROM THE OFFICE OF LGBT LIFE

Things have been busy here in the Office of LGBT Life as we prepare for the re
turn of Emory students to campus later this month! We look forward to having a successful fall semester under the leadership and guidance of our director, Danielle Steele. The Office has also hired a new Program Coordinator, Natalie Turrin. Natalie is working towards her doctorate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Emory. She will be working with Danielle to advise Emory Pride, as well as coordinate Emory’s participation in the Atlanta Pride Festival and other programs.

Danielle and Natalie have worked hard this summer to put together an exciting series of events for the LGBT and allied community at Emory this fall. Our first event, the Office Open House, will be Thursday, Aug. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. We are excited to welcome new students into our space with a beautiful rainbow cake from Metrotainment Bakery.

Then, the Office and GALA have partnered with Emory OUTLaw and Emory Campus Life to present “Love Wins: The Lovers & Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality” on Friday, Sept. 2, at 4 p.m. in Gambrell Hall’s Tull Auditorium. The event will include a panel discussion and book signing that features gay marriage plaintiff Jim Obergefell, Pulitzer Prize winner Debbie Cenziper, and Lambda Legal attorney Tara Borelli. Books will be available for purchase and signing will follow the remarks. We invite all GALA members to join us for this incredible opportunity to hear from the face of marriage equality himself!

Later in September, we will celebrate Bi/Pan Visibility Day on Sept. 23 with sugar cookies and pink, blue, and purple icing. We will also be hosting an Out in Law networking night for Emory pre-law and law students so that they can meet queer attorneys in the Atlanta area. If you have experience as an attorney and would like to participate in Out in Law during the last week of September, please contact the Office as soon as possible!

Looking even further ahead, the Office is already gearing up for LGBT History Month in October. Emory plans to march once again in the Atlanta Pride Parade on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 12 p.m. We hope that our alums will join us in marching through Midtown in solidarity with Atlanta’s larger LGBT community.

As always, alumni involvement continues to benefit our students. Contact Danielle Steele at dmsteel@emory.edu if you are interested in being more involved with the Office of LGBT Life. You can also keep up-to-date with our activities through our Facebook and Instagram pages. Thank you!